CHAPTER 1

Minho rolls over in bed. Light streams in from the nearby window. SM Entertainment decided to give SHINee a break today. It was rather sudden and surprised all of the members. Key rushed home to his family in Daegu. Jonghyun decided to spend time with his beloved noona. Taemin was hanging out with his friend from EXO, Kai. Onew was still in bed snoring the day away. Deciding to get up, Minho reluctantly kicks off the covers and pushes his body up. He stumbles out of his room rubbing his messy bed hair. Squinting, he wanders into the kitchen to grab something to eat. He grabs a muffin. Key had brought them from Amber claiming they were the best American breakfast food ever. Minho grudgingly admitted that the muffins were delicious. Soft and moist.

Sitting down at the dining room table, he admires the silence in the dorm. It wasn’t often that the dorm did not sound with Key’s nagging or Jonghyun’s random singing. A soft snore interrupts the silence. Minho smirks. Onew really is going to sleep the day away. Minho decides to take a walk and do some last minute shopping. His friend’s birthday is coming up, and Minho needs to buy him a gift. Leaving a note for Onew-hyung, Minho changes and slips on a jacket before heading out of the dorm. He passes his favorite coffee shop. Quickly backtracking, Minho spots a sign reading that the shop is presenting a new drink. Curious, Minho heads inside to try it out. He quickly hugs his leather jacket closer to his body, shoves the beanie on his head, and puts on a scarf to cover half of his mouth. He does not want random fangirls to clog the street asking for his autograph or a picture.

After buying the new drink, Minho selects a seat in the corner to enjoy it. Fall is almost over and winter is approaching. A chilly breeze from the open door quickly reminds Minho of that fact. Suddenly a group of schoolgirls stomp noisily through the doorway. Giggling and laughing the girls select tables close to Minho’s area. A couple of girls disengage from the herd to buy drinks. The rest start whispering and glancing over at Minho’s direction.

Minho thinks, “Great, they recognize me. Hopefully, they don’t bring too much attention and call every fangirl in the area to rush here.”

Straining his ears to listen to their conversation, Minho prepares his legs to fly out of the shop if the girls ever mention calling someone to tell them that SHINee’s Minho is here. Instead, he hears a different conversation.

“Hey, look over there! In that corner! It’s Minho from SHINee.” (insert squeal)

Another girl asks, “Choi Minho? Who is he?”

“Oh? He is member of SHINee. His name is Flaming Charisma Minho.”

Bored, the girl does a dismissing motion with her hand, “Pah! That guy. I remember him vaguely. Compared to the others, he is such a blackhole. I mean what can he do? He can’t rap, sing, or dance. His “Flaming Charisma” .”

Another girl joins in, “Yeah. Whenever I see him, I wish he would just stick to athletics. It’s the only thing he is good at.”

Minho sighs. More criticism. He knows he shouldn’t take it to heart, but the arrow has already been strung. His heart stings painfully. He would have gone into athletics, but his father forbade his son from entering the career field. Minho understands why his father refuses to let his son enter the industry. He can’t help but wonder what would happen if he had become an athlete instead of a member of SHINee. The girls who were talking about him were still staring and whispering. Minho quietly slips out of the shop. He lets his feet wander. His mind is uncertain of his destination.

His mom has always been telling him that he should let out more of his feelings. That he should talk with the group members. The problem is that the members wouldn’t understand. Onew has respect as leader and charisma from his Onew Condition. Taemin is the maknae. A title that pretty much gives him anything. Jonghyun is the vocal. Without him, SHINee would be less significant. Other idols respect him for his singing prowess. Key is, well, the spice of the group. His “diva” personality attracted many fans as well as kept them interested in SHINee. But, Choi Minho? He didn’t have much. Rap? Covered by Key. Dance? Taemin has that part down. Charisma? Hard to share with the rest of the members. Looks? Taemin is catching on to that one. Athletics? Nah. People keep saying Minho is too competitive for idol Olympics and should have gone done the path of a real athlete.

His feet suddenly hit grass. He is in a park. Minho wanders over to a large oak tree. Underneath it is a bench. He sits down and stares off into the distance. Couples whisper to each other. A jogger passes by. A woman is walking her dog. His mind, once again, wanders.

Should he quit the group and pursue something else? His mother had always told him to pursue his dream within reason. His father had agreed to anything other than athletics. If he quits the group, what path would he take? His university education was focused on music. The only other thing he is good at is athletics, but he was forbidden by his father. What is keeping him in the group, right now? Minho guesses it could be the members. But, not much anymore. Onew is too busy trying to hold in all the burdens. Key has been hanging out with his own friends more often. Jonghyun hasn’t stopped singing. Taemin, his precious maknae, is all grown up and drifting away from the cute boy that used to rely on Minho. So, the members are not holding him in the group. Maybe it is music? Minho remembers how much he enjoyed writing various raps for SHINee’s latest album yet he is not satisfied with that brief feeling. With a jolt, Minho realizes nothing is tying him to SHINee except SM’s contract. Should he go to the president to negotiate canceling the contract?

Determined, Minho heads toward the SM building. Choi Minho is leaving SHINee.

Hey! This is my fourth story. It is going to be multi-chapterd, but I don't know how long. Updates might be infrequent as I usually write when I make sure I have the appropriate mood. Homework will always be a problem. Anyway, comments are welcomed! I hope you guys enjoyed this! :D

~ilovefanfiction2010~